Give My Gun Away When It's Loaded
by Sharona1981
Summary: A sequel to 'Whatever Else Happens'. Sharona prepares to meet Sheamus' family-but an unwelcome face from his past threatens to destroy their relationship. Rated for later chapters. ON HIATUS.
1. Chapter 1

Give My Gun Away When It's Loaded

**I honestly didn't think I'd be writing this so soon-I've been at a very low ebb of late, but I have met a very special lady who has made me realize that life is too short to be wallowing in self-pity. And so, here it is, my sequel to 'Whatever Else Happens'. First chapter will be quite short-still finding my feet.**

**Sharona prepares to meet Sheamus' parents-but a face from Shay's past threatens to destroy their relationship. Title of my story, and lyrics, are taken from a song called '9 Crimes' by another very talented Irish singer-songwriter, Damien Rice.**

**For Gina-for everything. **

'_Leave me out with the waste,_

_This is not what I do;_

_It's the wrong kind of place _

_To be thinking of you._

_It's the wrong time_

_For somebody new;_

_It's a small crime, _

_And I got no excuse. _

_Is that alright?_

_To give my gun away when it's loaded?_

_Is that alright?_

_If you don't shoot it, how am I supposed to hold it?...'_

/

Sharona Vincenzi didn't normally get nervous. She'd been raised to overcome all obstacles, to fear nothing and no-one.

But this was different-as in, 'Meet The Parents' different.

She was finally going to meet Shay's family.

Apparently, Shay's mom had been calling him all the time, asking when they were going to meet his new girlfriend, and he had finally decided that since they were touring Europe at the moment, that the time was right.

Sharona realized how serious their relationship was, knew how much she loved him, knew that nothing and no-one could tear her away from her flame-haired Celtic Warrior, but she was also aware of how close her boyfriend was to his family-and she worried that his folks would decide that she wasn't a worthy partner for him.

She'd been to Dublin quite a few times, on various WWE tours, but had never had the chance to experience it properly. And she had certainly never imagined that she would end up head-over-heels in love with an Irishman.

'Some people think the Irish are just a bunch of drunken Paddies who are always fightin'.' Shay had explained to her, once he'd made arrangements for them to visit his family. 'But we're a lot more than that, darlin'. We're a very passionate race, and very proud as well. Ireland's a country steeped in history-and I can't wait to show ya some of it.'

There was no way Sharona could argue with the 'passionate' aspect of Shay's heritage-his passion inside the ring was evident for all to behold.

As for his passion _outside _the ring…well, that passion was reserved for her alone.

However, she couldn't resist making a light-hearted jab about some _other_, slightly more stereotypical, aspects of his heritage. 'This, coming from the man who can down fifteen pints of Guinness in one sitting, and loves nothing more than a good fight.' She'd grinned.

He'd glared at her, but there was no malice there, just a glint of mischievousness. 'Is that righ', lass?' He'd growled. 'Are ya lookin' fer a fight, are ya?'

And he'd pounced, sweeping her up in his arms and down to the floor, both of them roaring with laughter, an action that had culminated in less talking, more shedding of clothes.

Sharona smiled at the memory. She knew that Shay had a temper, that his passion could easily turn to anger in certain situations, but not with her. She truly believed that he would never hurt her.

He'd lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Big Show recently, which had obviously upset him, but she had absolute faith that he would regain that title again very soon. As far as she was concerned, Paul Wight wasn't fit to tie her boyfriend's shoelaces.

In a way, she was looking forward to meeting Shay's family-she knew this was inevitable, considering how much in love they were, as she knew that she would also need to introduce Shay to her family very soon. If only to put an end to the constant questioning of her parents.

After what had happened with Kane, she absolutely understood that her parents would be a little leery about her entering into a new relationship with someone else in her line of work, but she was confident that they would love Shay immediately. How could they _not_?

She only hoped that his family would feel the same about _her_…

**Okay ,yes, I know it's short, but I'm trying to familiarize myself with these characters again. I hope you'll read, enjoy and be sure to leave a review. Thank you! : ) Ellen. **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**So there isn't a whole lot happening here, either-I'm still finding these characters again, so hopefully you'll bear with me and won't be too harsh. Punk actually features in this chapter more than Sheamus. I want to thank everyone for their reviews so far. I'm dating someone now, so won't be updating as much. Thanks in advance for your patience and understanding. **

'…_Just when I thought I'd had enough, and all my tears were shed;_

_No promise left unbroken, there were no painful words unsaid._

_You came along and showed me how to leave it all behind;_

_You opened up my heart again, and then, much to my surprise,_

_I found love, darlin',_

_Love in the nick of time…'_

_-Bonnie Raitt, 'Nick Of Time'_

_/_

To suggest that Sheamus was nervous about introducing Sharona to his family was an understatement-he was _terrified_. The last girl who had been allowed into the welcoming bosom of his family was Imelda-and that had turned out disastrously. His mother, Bernadette, had threatened to 'slap the shite' out of his ex after she had hurt him so badly-his mother looked like she was all sweetness and light, and she was, until she was crossed. Imelda had become 'persona non grata' after their breakup, for obvious reasons.

And what would his folks say if they knew about the baby?

But Shar was nothing like Imelda-she was strong, and independent, and she _loved_ him. He knew that as sure as he knew his own name. He knew his folks were a bit wary about meeting the new lady in his life, and after Imelda had cheated on him, he had himself been afraid of loving someone else, but that girl had crawled inside his heart and then refused to budge.

He didn't want her to-he wanted to keep Shar safe in his heart always…

/

Phil Brooks was impossible, stubborn, and a jerk. These were things Sharona had discovered about her best friend, pretty much from the moment they'd first met. He spoke his mind, and was always honest, regardless of the consequences. He was blunt, straightforward, and didn't believe in bullshitting anyone. There were people who couldn't handle these aspects of Phil's personality-but she wouldn't have him any other way.

Besides, he was also loyal, generous, and as a friend and admirer of women, he was also tender and kind. But she knew Phil had to trust someone implicitly to let them see any of that.

Sharona felt honoured that she was one of those people-even if, right at this moment, she could beat the crap out of him quite cheerfully.

'Hey, you'd better hope that his old man isn't like Robert De Niro in that movie.' He chuckled-she'd just told him of Shay's intention of introducing her to his family. 'When you get a chance, take a look in the basement, make sure he doesn't have a polygraph machine down there.'

Sharona took a swipe at his head, and Phil ducked, still grinning. They were sitting in his tour bus, drinking coffee, and watching Walking Dead. Sharona had a massive crush on Norman Reedus, who played Daryl Dixon, which Phil normally mocked her about, but oh no, not today. Today, her best friend had something _else _to poke fun at her about.

'Screw you.' She sighed. 'I'm sure Shay's family are nice, normal people.'

'Hell, I hope not.' Phil gave a shudder. 'Normality's overrated Shar, everyone knows that. I mean, my family's about as far removed from normal…' He stopped, making a face, before adding, 'On second thought, my family's not exactly a great yardstick. _Anybody's_ normal by comparison.'

Sharona knew that Phil had had a pretty rough life, with his father's heavy drinking, and then his brother conning him out of money that had been invested in their independent wrestling company. She knew that his family was the reason he found it so hard to trust and open up to people.

And she also knew he hated talking about _any_ of that, so, instead of pushing the matter, she went on, 'They've been asking about me a lot, so Shay figured that this European tour coming up was as good a time as any to meet them. And I promised him that after this, we'd meet my parents.'

Phil smiled genuinely at this. 'Well, that'll be a breeze.' He replied. 'Your folks are cool. And Sheamo's a decent guy-they'll see that.'

Sharona nodded slowly. 'It's not that I'm worried about.' She confessed. 'I'm more worried about what Shay's family are gonna think of _me_.'

There must have been something telling in her expression-his beloved tv show now completely forgotten, Phil leaned forward, frowning. 'Is there something you're not telling me Shar?' He asked. 'Why are you getting in such a twist about this?'

Sharona took a deep breath; she knew she could trust Phil, but Shay had told her about his ex in confidence. Still…

'If I tell you something,' she began. 'Do you promise not to tell anyone else?'

Phil stared hard at her. 'You even have to ask?' He responded. He sounded and looked offended, and she was sorry now that she'd asked that question.

'I'm sorry.' She told him softly. 'I know you won't say anything.'

She paused, momentarily unsure of where to begin, then finally started to speak, slowly:

'Before Shay and I got together, before he even came to the US, there was this girl. They were together for a long time, judging by what Shay told me. Anyway, the day he planned to propose to her, he found her with someone else.'

'Shit.' Phil breathed, expression sympathetic. 'That sucks.'

'Oh, it gets better.' Sharona's voice became harsher as she continued; she could still vividly remember Shay recounting this awful story to her, how he had broken down in tears in her arms.

If she ever crossed paths with that bitch, then she'd be sorry she'd ever hurt him like she had.

'A short time after they broke up,' she went on. 'Shay heard through the grapevine that she was pregnant.'

Now she had Phil's undivided attention-his eyes widened, mouth gaping open in shock.

'Are you gonna tell me Sheamo has a kid somewhere?' He asked disbelievingly, and she smiled humourlessly.

'That's what I thought when he told me.' She replied. 'Only he never found out, see. She had an abortion before he got a chance to do a test or anything.'

Phil's expression remained one of shock for a moment, then softened considerably. 'Jesus.' He said softly. 'Poor guy. Though it sounds like he had a lucky escape from that heartless bitch. How could she do that, just get rid of the kid before anyone could find out whose it was?' He stopped, as if to think, then added, 'Though maybe it wasn't his-maybe it was this other douche she was sleeping with. Not that that's much of a consolation if he never knew for sure.'

Sharona nodded. 'Anyway,' she concluded. 'He never told his family about the baby-didn't want to upset them, I guess-but after she cheated on him, after it all ended, well, they've been kind of cautious about anyone else he dated.'

Phil rolled his eyes slightly. 'Okay', he said. 'That's kind of understandable, but you can't paint everybody with the same brush, Shar. You'd never do that to him. That's not the kind of woman you are. Hell, if you need someone to tell them that, I'll gladly do it.' He paused, then asked, 'You know, your relationship is none of my business, but…just out of curiosity, what if you did get pregnant?'

She blushed. Phil might be her best friend, but he was still a man, and she wasn't entirely comfortable discussing her sex life with him, or anything related to it. But she already knew the answer to this one.

'Personally, I'd never get an abortion.' She told him. 'Especially if it was Shay's baby. If it was unexpected, we'd deal with it. But I'd definitely keep it.'

Phil nodded, and then he was smiling at her. 'You've got nothing to worry about, Shar.' He assured her. 'They'll see your strength and your decency, and they'll know their boy's in good hands. Trust me.'

And she did, usually-but this was something she couldn't help but be nervous about. This was about the man she loved, his family, their future.

All things considered, it wasn't really surprising she was so scared…

**I know, I know, boring, right? I'm sorry-but I'm finally getting to grips with where this story is going. I do have a huge crush on Norman Reedus by the way-Daryl is hot! **

**It looks like Shay might have a new onscreen love interest as well-to be fair, Renee is pretty hot. And rumour has it that he has a thing for blondes! **

**Please R&R-thank you! **

**Ellen. **


End file.
